If you’ve spent any time playing League of Legends, you’ve definitely eyed a flashy legendary skin on the enemy mid laner and wondered if you could grab it without dropping cash. Tons of players search for how to get free skins in League of Legends every month, and the good news is there are totally safe, official ways to do this without falling for scams or getting your account banned. I’ve been playing LoL since season 3, and I’ve unlocked over 20 free skins over the years without spending a single cent on RP, so I know exactly which methods actually work and which ones are just wastes of time. Before we dive in, it’s critical to note that any site promising free unlimited RP or skins for logging in with your Riot credentials is a scam, no exceptions. Stick to the methods we cover below, and you won’t run into any account issues.
How to Get Free Skins in League of Legends Via Riot’s In-Game Events
Riot runs themed in-game events every 2 to 3 months, tied to everything from Worlds and MSI to Lunar New Year, Arcane releases, and new champion launches. Every single one of these events includes a free reward track that doesn’t require you to purchase a premium event pass to access. All you have to do is complete simple in-game missions, like winning 3 games as a mage or earning 10 kills across your matches, to earn event points and unlock rewards. Event mission tokens earned from these free tracks can be exchanged for skin shards, permanent skins, chromas, and even loot chests in the event shop, no RP required. I’ve gotten 4 permanent skins from event shops over the past 2 years alone, just by playing a few games a week while events are running. The only downside is that events only run for a limited time, so you have to make sure you complete your missions before the event ends to claim your rewards. If you have a busy schedule, prioritize the missions that give the most tokens first to get the highest value rewards before the event wraps up.
Claim Ranked & Clash Reward Skins For Completing Seasonal Goals
If you play ranked or Clash, you’re probably already eligible for free skins you haven’t claimed yet. Every ranked split (there are 3 per year now), players who hit Gold rank or higher in any ranked queue get a free exclusive Victorious skin, plus bonus chromas for every additional queue you hit Gold in. Even if you don’t make it to Gold, you’ll still earn ranked split rewards for playing enough ranked games, which often include skin shards, orange essence, and sometimes even permanent skins for lower ranks. Clash tournaments are another super underrated way to get free skins. You can earn free Clash tickets from event missions or weekly rewards, so you don’t have to spend any RP to enter. Even if you lose all 3 of your games in a Clash tournament, you’ll get a participation capsule that includes at least 1 skin shard. If you win a few games, you can get premium capsules that drop permanent skins, legacy skins, and even exclusive Clash-themed cosmetics. My friends and I once won our tier 4 Clash bracket and all got free permanent legendary skins, no cost involved at all.
Use Skin Shards & Orange Essence To Unlock Skins For Free
Most players accumulate tons of loot in their Hextech inventory without realizing how easy it is to turn that loot into free permanent skins. You earn Hextech chests for earning an S-, S, or S+ rank on any champion you own, and you get free key fragments from playing games, which combine into full keys to open those chests. You don’t have to buy chests or keys from the store at all if you just play consistently. When you open a chest, you’ll get skin shards, which you can either disenchant for orange essence, activate for 7 days of use, or upgrade to a permanent skin with orange essence. If you're patient, this method is one of the most consistent ways to build your collection without looking for risky hacks for how to get free skins in League of Legends. You also earn Mythic Essence from event rewards, chest drops, and seasonal milestones, which can be used to buy exclusive prestige skins, mythic skins, and legacy vault skins in the monthly rotating mythic shop. Follow these quick tips to make the most of your loot:
- Always open every free chest and key you earn, even if you think you don't need the loot right now
- Save orange essence for skins you actually want to use, instead of upgrading random shards for champions you never play
- Check the mythic shop every month for rotating skin discounts that only cost mythic essence, no RP required
- Disenchant duplicate skin shards immediately, as they have no extra value beyond the orange essence they give
Claim Free Skins Through Partner Promotions & Community Rewards
Riot regularly runs promotions with trusted partners that give out free LoL skins and loot, often for no purchase required. The most consistent of these is the Amazon Prime Gaming promotion, which gives Prime members a free permanent skin or exclusive skin shard every single month, plus bonus loot like chests and orange essence. If you don’t have Prime yourself, you can often ask a friend or family member who has a subscription to claim the code for you, since most codes are shareable as long as they haven’t been redeemed yet. You can also earn free exclusive skins from the LoL Honor system. Every time you reach Honor level 5, you’ll get a free permanent Honor skin, either Grey Warwick or Medieval Twitch, plus exclusive chromas for these skins if you reach Honor 5 again in later seasons. High Honor rewards are surprisingly easy to earn: just avoid being toxic in chat, honor at least one teammate after every game, and play consistently, and you’ll reach Honor 5 within a few months. Riot also occasionally gives out free skins as apology gifts if there’s a widespread server outage, major bug, or other service issue, so always check your in-game loot tab after any big server problems to see if you have a free reward waiting. Just make sure you only redeem promotions advertised directly on Riot’s official social media or in-game client, to avoid falling for phishing scams.
At the end of the day, you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on RP to build a great collection of skins for your favorite champions. The best part about learning how to get free skins in League of Legends is that all the legitimate methods just involve playing the game you already love, no extra costs or risks required. You don't have to grind 24/7 either, even playing a few games a week during events will net you enough loot to unlock a few free skins every year. Just remember to always avoid any too-good-to-be-true offers outside of official Riot channels, and you'll be able to grow your skin collection safely for years to come.